Divine Realizations [ Clarion X Milori ]

Chapter 29

Milori exhaled a deep and chilling breath.
He was getting too old for this.
He had just come back from sparing with the new trainees that would soon replace any soldiers fit for retirement.
Hell, he felt ready for retirement, in fact he was sure no one deserved it more than him.
Many held promise however, and he always felt rejuvenated after seeing their eagerness first-hand.
Eagerness that would get them killed if not restrained properly, he scoffed.
Shedding his heavy fur-lined overcoat, Milori walked through the deserted halls of his fortress.
It was lunch time so all servants had acquitted to their prospective places for dining.
Finding the quiet discomforting, Milori moved to go locate his wife and child but stopped short.
It was useless seeking either out as Avalon was always with friends or in the forbidden island that was her room, and Clarion glued to the side of Ranger Skye.
He frowned and began to pace, wondering what he should do.
It was a rare day for Milori to have extra time, much less a minute, to himself and frankly he was at a loss on what to do.
Always his schedules were full with meetings, trainings and other duties of a king so he was starting to have an inkling of an idea of what it felt like for Clarion.
She claimed that she never saw him anymore and was actually lonely but he brushed her concerns off, finally glad that she had a project to occupy her time and attention.
While he was initially hesitant to let her go off to the coast, he thought that a guard accompanying her was the perfect compromise.
He didn't think that he would come to regret demanding that Ranger Skye attend any outings with her.
Now they seemed to be inseparable, always laughing and studying diagrams/sketches together.
Many times he walked in on them both in his study, with Clarion staring pensively at a blue-print while Skye in turn discreetly studied her.
He would have stepped in had he thought that Skye was acting inappropriately or had other intentions but so far Milori could only see a disguised curiosity in his demeanor.
As though Clarion was some sort of enthralling puzzle that he just couldn't figure out but deeply wanted to.
Been there, done that.
Not only was Skye making Milori suspicious but so was this Ashe his daughter always talked about.
Both were beginning to be proverbial thorns in his side and he wanted to find out more about them.
No, needed to.
They practically lived with him and his family so if they had any ill motives it was Milori's duty to find out.
He didn't need to be reminded about how fast seemingly harmless people could turn on you.
Nodding his head, he stopped his pacing and checked the time.
Great frost, he still had nearly an hour of extra time to kill.
With his mind made up, Milori went in search of The Keeper.
It had been a while since he had last paid a visit or requested the fairy's services but this was urgent.
Milori wouldn't sleep till he found out more. Walking that way, Milori thought over the facts that he already knew regarding the mysterious men.
He knew for sure that both Ash and Skye were not birthright winter fairies.
Not only were their dark looks a giveaway, but Milori knew of every winter fairy born in the last thousand years and surely would have remembered two such cumbersome subjects.
No, they must have just recently come within the last few years with the population conversions of the warmer seasons and The Hinterlands.
The latter place made him pause.
Hinterlands.
The time period fit as well as their exotic features.
An image of cool, aqua-green eyes flooded his brain.
Eyes filled with hatred.
With his mind fairly certain that Ash and Skye were in fact ex Hinterland citizens, Milori made his way inside the Winter Library where The keeper kept all of the Winter Realms' records.
It was time to get answers.